Hot Tub Buying Guide

Clean your filter with Muriatic acid

You have been cleaning your hot tub filter regularly with hose and water, but it is still not coming clean. Well, you can use muriatic acid to clean your filter, but please remember that muriatic acid is very corrosive and needs to be handled with care. And as always, we recommend checking with the manufacturer instructions for their recommendations. Also, have you replaced the filter in the past year? Filters should be replaced once a year. If you rotate filters, it might last you two years because it's getting less use.

That being said, if you have a filter that is clogged with calcium carbonate you can clean it with muriatic acid. Be sure to wear gloves and safety glasses. Yes, really. There are cleaning products available on the market containing muriatic acid in them already in the appropriate proportions. If you are using straight muriatic acid you will need to dilute it. Make a solution of 1 part muriatic acid to 20 parts water. That's a 1:20 ratio. The maximum ratio you would ever want to use is 1:4, but 1:20 is sufficient for cleaning the filter.

Put on your goggles and gloves. Rinse the filter well with a hose. Then fill a large bucket with water. And then pour in the muriatic acid. Always fill the bucket with water first, then, add acid. Place the filter in the water/acid mix. Allow it to sit for 10 to 15 minutes. If the filter is not submerged, flip it over for another 10 to 15 minutes to expose the whole filter to the water/acid mix. After the elapsed time, remove the filter and rinse with hose water again. You may want to add a pH up product to the water in the bucket and the run off to neutralize the acid as you dump the water. The filter should be much cleaner now with the acid really washing away that stubborn build up.

The build up on the filter is likely because your water has a high mineral content. You may also be keeping the pH levels too high in the hot tub water. Regular maintenance on your hot tub will help you keep it running efficiently, clean and keep it ready to go for your next soak. Remember to check those levels and keep things where they should be.